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Pastor Flehters, I knohat I’d think I’d assu to explain how this had happened"

Most people in the congregation sed a little, re as vividly as ever the day she’d told her parents she was pregnant She reer and, ultiht of Mary Jo and turned to exchange a quick glance with Olivia

"And yet," the pastor went on, "this child, the very son of God, was growing inside her womb Mary revealed remarkable faith, but then so did her faed"

So briefly distracted the pastor and he looked to his left "I can see the children are ready and eager to begin their performance, so I won’t take up any , however As a boy, I was given the role of a shepherd standing guard over his sheep when the angel carew up, I chose, in a sense, the very same job--that of a shepherd Every one of you is a member of my flock and I care for you deeply Merry Christation echoed

As he stepped down from the podiue Grace et a better view of the proceedings Katie stood proudly in place, her gold wings jutting out fro crookedly atop her head She couldn’t have looked elic if she’d tried

Tyler had borrowed one of Cliff’s walking sticks to use as a staff He was obviously still annoyed to be without his precious druation as if to infor this under protest Grace had to srandchildren tonight Their grandson was like his grandfather in soanyone to sense her thoughts, Grace looked away She didn’t often think about Dan anyhters with hih the years they’d achieved a coether

But Dan had never been the same after Vietnam For a lot of years, Grace had blas for his unhappiness Dan knew that and had done his best to ht in the letter he wrote her before his death

Christrandchildren Dan would never knoere onstage, giving the perfor lives

Out of the corner of her eye, Grace noticed Angel, the church secretary, rushing down the side aisle and toward the front She went to the first pehere Pastor Fle in his ear and the pastor nodded He left with her Apparently there was soency

"Look, there’s a star in the East," Leif Gunderson, Olivia’s grandson, shouted As one of the three Wise Men, he pointed at the church ceiling

"Let us follow the star," the second of the Wise Men called out

It wasn’t until Cliff tapped her aret her attention She stood in the side aisle and er for Grace to come out

"What’s that about?" Cliff asked as she picked up her purse

"I don’t know I’ll tell you as soon as I find out"

He nodded

Grace hurried down the center aisle to the foyer, reaching it just as Angel did "What’s going on?" she asked

"It’s a el said

This confused Grace "What do you et a pair of scissors Mrs Murphy, the first-grade Sunday School teacher, needed scissors and I thought there was a pair in my desk"

"The phone call," Grace rehter"

"Mack McAfee?" Grace blurted out

"No, no, Brandon Hutton At any rate, he wanted to speak to the pastor"

"Has there been an accident?"

"No…I don’t know I think it would be best if you talked to Pastor Fle was on the phone, a worried expression on his face When he saw Grace, he held out the receiver "You’d better take this"

Grace dismissed her first fear, that there’d been an accident Everyone she loved, everyone as important to her here in Cedar Cove, was inside the church

"This is Grace Harding," she said into the receiver, her voice quavering slightly

"Ms Harding, this is EMT Hutton from the Kitsap County Fire District We received a distress call froasped "Mary Jo? She’s still at the house? Is she all right?"

"I believe so,for you"

"Won’t you be transporting her to the hospital? Shouldn’t I meet you there?" Grace would notify Cliff and they could leave together

From the moment she’d left the house, some instinct had told her she should’ve stayed with Mary Jo So her baby not in teeks but now Tonight

"We won’t be transporting her, Ms Harding"

"Good heavens, why not?" Grace de if it was a jurisdictional et Olivia involved

"It appears Ms Wyse is going to give birth imminently We don’t have time to transport her"

"She’s not alone, is she?"

"No, oodness "What about her brothers?" she asked Surely they’d arrived by now

"There’s no one else here, et there as quickly as possible"

"One last thing," Officer Hutton added "Do you normally keep camels in your barn?"

"No But be warned She bites"